The director starts by learning from the abilities of renowned directors.

Shen Qing, right?

"US$1.41 million in North America, Qingye is truly amazing!"

"Of course, otherwise why would Hollywood studios pay such exorbitant prices to have Master Qing make a film?"

"Hollywood? An exorbitant price?"

"You didn't know? Jackie Chan is starring in the new movie, and Master Qing's base salary is $10 million plus 1000% of the global box office revenue!"

"Holy shit!"

"That's really awesome!"

Shen Qing couldn't help but log into her alternate account to correct her: "Actually, it's not global box office revenue sharing, it's the initial total box office revenue sharing, after deducting the portion allocated to the cinemas."

I won't correct the $1000 million base salary issue; that option was already included in the two-choice question.

"Are you Shen Qing?" a user suddenly replied to Shen Qing's alternate account.

Shen Qing was stunned for a moment after reading it, thinking to himself, "Just this one sentence and I've been exposed? This netizen is too amazing!"

Just as I was wondering how to reply, I refreshed the page and saw that the same netizen had replied again:

"You're not Boss Qing, what do you know about how much money Boss Qing gets? If the theater portion is to be distributed after the box office, then what about the marketing expenses? Should the film company pay back the loans first? Should the taxes be paid before the distribution? If it's distributed like that, Hollywood could treat a blockbuster as a loss and not give you a single cent, do you believe it? If you don't understand, shut up. The contract states global box office revenue sharing!"

Shen Qing didn't understand how much money she would get.

Shen Qing was dumbfounded, but after thinking about it, he decided to let it go. He was too lazy to explain it, so he just browsed it quietly.

Then I saw netizens calculating how much money his movie would actually make.

"The US and European box office totaled $2.65 million. Qingye will get 10%, which is $2650 million. Add to that the guaranteed $1000 million, and then there's the $800 million from the Asian rights..."

Shen Qing shook his head and left the forum.

This is unbelievable! He can't possibly get that much. Will the other netizens make up the difference for the smaller portion? It's getting more and more outrageous the more you calculate it.

He owns 56% of the film's copyright. The film grossed 2.54 billion yuan in mainland China, and a little over one-third of that went to the production company, which is about 8400 million yuan. Of that, more than 4700 million yuan went to Shen Qing's Magical Film and Television Company.

More than 2000 million of the box office revenue from Hong Kong and Taiwan went to Shen Qing's company, bringing the total to 6700 million.

However, this is only a very rough calculation, and it is a bit conservative. In reality, Shen Qing may receive even more, most likely exceeding 7000 million.

The overseas copyright sales, covering the US and Asia, totaled US$1800 million, of which 56%, or US$1200 million, went to Shen Qing's company.

The remaining amount is the initial total box office revenue sharing. Half of the $2.65 million box office revenue multiplied by 0.1 is approximately $1325 million. However, this is for the entire production company, and Shen Qing has a 56% share, which is approximately $742 million.

To summarize Shen Qing's earnings this time, it is approximately 7000 million RMB + 1200 million USD + 742 million USD.

These are still approximate figures, but they reflect the basic situation.

Based on all factors, Shenqing Company's total revenue this time is estimated to be over 2 million yuan.

Of course, you also have to pay taxes.

Shen Qing's company now has total assets exceeding 3 million yuan. He has also bought some stocks, focusing on value investing in companies with a proven track record of strong future growth, rather than short-term speculation. Shen Qing believes that these stocks are likely to become the main component of his assets in the future.

……

Tiangong Pictures and Magic Visual Effects each submitted a trailer, and Shen Qing noticed that the two trailers had very different focuses.

The version featuring the shark was more oppressive and suspenseful, while the version with amazing visual effects made Yang Mi look even more beautiful. The azure sea and the swimsuit-clad beauty were a feast for the eyes, with only the shark's shadow flashing by at the very end.

Let's release the Tiangong version first.

Shen Qing gave the instructions.

Chen Zhixi nodded and went out to do her work.

……

Magic Films released the first trailer for "The Shallows," which has garnered considerable attention online.

It's a shark movie?

Can Chinese directors really make this kind of movie?

But to be honest, based on just the trailer, it's really good.

"Holy crap, that's quite unexpected. Shen Qing actually made a shark movie? I'd never heard of it before!"

"The trailer looks pretty good, it has the feel of a Hollywood blockbuster. Yang Mi looks really beautiful in her swimsuit, I never realized she's actually quite well-endowed."

"The trailer is really exciting, I want to watch it, but I'm afraid all the exciting parts will be crammed into the trailer."

"I won't rush to watch it after its release. Let's wait and see how the reviews are. To be honest, it's hard to believe that a domestic director could make a good film about this subject."

"If it's even 70 points, I'll definitely watch it a second time to encourage bold and innovative domestic directors."

"I wonder if we can make a film of the same quality as 'The Host'."

"The person upstairs is too greedy."

……

The Shallows had a small budget, but the internal screenings were quite large because the market had significant concerns about the film.

Firstly, there are no successful examples of similar films in China, so even if theater chains and cinema managers are very optimistic about Shen Qing, they will inevitably have concerns at this time.

Secondly, the movie is a one-woman show by Yang Mi, while Shen Qing's previous more successful movies were basically all starring Shen Qing himself.

Shen Qing has box office appeal, and is among the top Chinese stars in terms of box office appeal. Now that Shen Qing is no longer acting herself, and only Yang Mi is involved, will the box office still be able to sell well?

To dispel these concerns, the distributor, China Film Group, held a large-scale internal screening.

The story of the movie is very simple, but the creation of the suspense atmosphere is absolutely world-class. Before the shark even appears, just a few underwater follow-up shots are enough to fill the uneasy atmosphere.

Clearly, the underwater tracking footage evokes images of lurking sharks, ready to pounce and devour anyone at any moment.

But these theater chains and cinema managers soon realized they had been tricked, and nothing actually happened.

The screaming seagulls, the sudden appearance of dolphins, the carcass of whales, the vast ocean, the surging waves—in this film, The Shallows, it seems that every image is associated with emotions such as horror and unease.

Just when the audience was getting used to the suspense, a real shark suddenly flashed by...

……

China Film Group.

"It seems like The Shallows will be screened regularly. The reaction to the screenings will be very strong. The most common description I hear is that it's a shark movie that truly captures the quality of a Hollywood blockbuster."

Han Sanping said to Shen Qing with a smile.

Shen Qing said, "The Shallows has its merits, and if the screening schedule can keep up, the box office performance won't be bad."

"Speaking of film scheduling, Wanda was very proactive this time, taking the lead in ordering a lot of copies, and other cinemas were also influenced by Wanda to some extent," Han Sanping remarked.

Jing Tian's image flashed into Shen Qing's mind; Wanda's leading role in ordering the copy was inextricably linked to her.

……

Yang Mi's emphasis on "The Shallows" is unprecedented. This is a film in which she carries the entire weight of the project, and a large part of the responsibility for the film's success or failure rests on her shoulders. At the same time, if the film achieves great success, the boost to her status will be obvious.

With just over twenty days until the movie's release, Yang Mi began taking Shen Qing on a promotional tour across the country.

According to the publicity plan, it would be enough to cover two or three cities before the film's release and three to five cities afterward. However, Yang Mi insisted on covering more cities with Shen Qing. Not only did she want to do it, but she also insisted on bringing Shen Qing, a director with a strong box office appeal, along with her.

Seeing how much she valued it, Shen Qing generously increased marketing expenses and publicity efforts, personally taking her to more cities and more TV shows.

Whether it's useful or not is secondary.

Time flew by and it was November 21st. By then, the total box office of "Lust, Caution" had exceeded 110 million yuan, and the daily increase in box office revenue had dropped to only a few hundred thousand yuan.

With the energy of "Lust, Caution" almost exhausted and more than 20 days left before the release of "The Warlords," "The Shallows" held its official premiere in Beijing, taking full advantage of favorable timing, location, and circumstances.